Face protection device for tanning

ABSTRACT

A face protection device is provided for use tanning the body, and is particularly suited for use in tanning booths. The face protection device is made of UV-resistant material and is configured to cover the face area of a user to protect the face from harmful tanning rays. The face protection device is adjustable to accommodate head sizes and is structured to drape over the face in a manner which does not restrict breathing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/579,358 filed Jun. 14, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to tanning of the human body, and specifically relates to devices for protecting a person's face from exposure to ultra-violet or other tanning rays emitted from the sun, tanning bed devices or other sources.

2. Description of Related Art

Indoor tanning, especially in commercial establishments which provide tanning beds, has been a very popular endeavor for the last few decades, particularly in view of concerns for exposure to natural sunlight and ultra-violet radiation. Consequently, an industry for products related to tanning has resulted, with many items and products being developed to improve the tanning experience.

The present invention addresses a concern or problem experienced by many people who tan in tanning booths, namely the protection of the face from radiation. That is, while many people wish to develop a tanned skin tone on their bodies, they do not wish to darken the tone of their face, or only wish to achieve a slight tanning on the face area. This concern may arise for many reasons, including concern for damage to delicate skin around the eyes and mouth, or simply esthetic reasons.

Some people address this concern by covering their face with a washcloth, towel or readily-available piece of clothing once they are situated in the tanning bed. However, the results have proven to be unsatisfactory. Washcloth or towel material tends to be heavy and causes a suffocating condition for the tanner. Placing a stray piece of clothing over the face does not result in proper coverage and can expose the tanner's face to the tanning rays, sometimes unevenly if the clothing slips out of place or is not draped appropriately. The clothing is also subject to exposure to the radiation from the tanning bed apparatus and the clothing can fade.

With washcloths, towels or pieces of clothing, the fabric can slip off the face during use and, more importantly, will not stay in place when the tanner rotates positions in the tanning bed, or when the tanner is using a stand-up tanning unit. Most importantly, none of the materials that may be used by a tanner to cover the face as previously described are resistant to ultra-violet radiation. Therefore, a chance remains that the face may be exposed to harmful or undesirable UV radiation.

Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a device for tanners to use, preferably but not exclusively, while tanning in a tanning bed or stand-up tanning unit, to cover the face and protect the face from UV radiation, and to provide such a device that is structured to be retained properly and stably on the face, and which is structured to enable the tanner to breath freely through the material and/or from beneath the device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a UV-resistant face protection device is provided for covering the face of a tanner to protect the face from UV radiation. The device is sized to protect the entire face, and may preferably be structured to protect the ears and/or neck as well.

The device is further structured to be secured to the head in a fashion that allows the wearer to turn his or her head freely, or stand in a tanning booth, without having the device shift or slip from its proper position on the face. The face protection device has the further advantage of being made of lightweight material that, while UV-resistant, allows the wearer to breath through the material. Additionally, the face protection device may preferably be configured to adapt to a three-dimensional shape, such as a generally domed-shape, that prevents the face protection device from conforming to the contours of the wearer's face, thereby avoiding giving the wearer a sense of suffocation.

The face protection device may be used in any tanning situation, including tanning by the rays of the sun, but is described herein with respect to use in a tanning bed or booth. The advantages of the present invention are more fully described in the detailed description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which illustrate what is currently considered to be the best mode for carrying out the invention;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the face protection device of the present invention shown in position on a user's face, certain additional or optional features being shown in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the face protection device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the face protection device of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of another alternative embodiment of the face protection device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The face protection device 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 as it would be worn by a person tanning, for example, in a tanning bed. The face protection device 10 generally comprises a cover member 12 and securement member 14 for stably securing the face protection device 10 to the wearer's head. The cover member 12 is generally sized and shaped to cover the wearer's entire face 16, and may be sized and shaped to also cover the wearer's neck, or portions thereof as suggested in phantom at 17. The cover member 12 may also be shaped and sized to cover the wearer's ears 18 to protect the ears from burning or simple exposure to UV radiation.

A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The cover member 12 of the device 10 is structured to be flat and is generally formed as an ovate piece of material to approximate the shape of the human face. Any other shape may be selected, however, as long as the shape and size are sufficient to cover the face and any other portion of the head (i.e., ears or neck) that may be desirable for coverage and protection from UV radiation.

The securement member 14, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises at least one band 20 that is secured to the cover member 12. The band 20 may be positioned and/or secured to the cover member 14 at a point of the periphery 22 of the cover member 14 corresponding to placement over or near the wearer's ears 18. The band 20 may be sized to encircle the wearer's head. Where the securement member 14 comprises a single band 20, the band 20 comprises a first end 24 secured to the cover member 12 and a second end (not shown in the view of FIG. 1) that is either secured to or detachably secured to the cover member 12 on a side opposite the attachment of the first end 24 of the band 20.

For example, the band 20 may be elasticized so that the device 10 may be slipped over the top of the head and brought into position over the face 16. Alternatively, the second end (not shown) of the band 20 may be detachably attached to the cover member 12. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the band 20 has a defined width selected so that the band 20 is preferably sized to cover the wearer's ears and protect them from UV radiation.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, as well as any other embodiments herein described or later conceived, the face protection device 10 is made of material that is UV-resistant. As used herein, “UV-resistant” means that the material has an SPF rating that enables the material to block UV-radiation. One exemplar SPF fabric that may be used in manufacturing the invention is Solarweave® made by Solar Protective Factory, Inc. of Madison, Wis. The SPF fabrics used in the invention may be woven, non-woven, natural or synthetic materials, and may have a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) Rating of fifty or greater (assuring 97% blockage of UV radiation). Lower UPF rated fabrics may also be suitable (e.g., UPF rating of thirty or greater).

In a particularly suitable embodiment of the invention, the cover member 12 comprises a single or double layer of SPF fabric to assure that all UV radiation is blocked. Notably, however, SPF materials are sufficiently lightweight so that the material is breathable and does not cause suffocation or the feeling of suffocation. While the cover member 12 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 as being formed of a solid piece of fabric, small holes may be formed through the thickness of the fabric layer or layers in the area of the mouth to provide further means for breathing.

The SPF fabric, or other UV-resistant fabrics or materials, used in the manufacture of the face protection device 10 are not only lightweight and breathable, but the fabric can, optionally, be moistened or wet to a dampened state before placing on the face to provide a cooling and soothing effect to the face.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, as previously noted, is configured as a flat piece of material that is sufficiently shaped and configured to drape over the face of the wearer. The light weight of the fabric allows the material of the device 10 to drape naturally over the contours of the face (i.e., nose and chin) to provide pockets of breathing space between the wearer's face and the inner surface of the device 10 (i.e., that surface which is adjacent the wearer's face. However, the nature of the material is also such that it is breathable and allows the wearer to breath freely through the fabric without the attendant feeling of suffocation by the material.

FIG. 2 illustrates further embodiments of the invention where the securement member 14 comprises a pair of sashes 26, 28 that are sized to extend to the back of the head. The sashes 26, 28 are structured with attachment elements 34, here shown by way of example only as hook and loop members 30, 32 that interlock when brought into contact with one another. Numerous other types of attachment elements may be equally suitable for securing the sashes 26, 28 together to secure the device 10 to the wearer's head, including but not limited to hooks, adhesives, clips, and the like.

FIG. 2 further illustrates that the securement member 14 may optionally include, for example, a sash 33 or other device that is positioned to extend from the cover member 12 over the top of the wearer's head to help properly position the cover member 12 against the face, especially when the invention is being worn in a stand-up tanning unit or booth. The sash 33 may be structured with an attachment device 35 for securing the sash 33 to, for example, other securement members 14 (e.g., sashes 26, 28).

FIG. 2 also illustrates an alternative embodiment where the cover member 12 is structured to be more form fitting to the face by having a three-dimensional shape. For example, the cover member 12 may be structured with darts 36 or pleats that cause the cover member 12 to be slightly dome-shaped, as shown in FIG. 3. Other devices or means may be used to shape or contour the cover member 12 to the general shape or curvature of a wearer's face. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the cover member 12 may be provided with at least one stiffening member 44 (shown in phantom in FIG. 3) that is secured to or incorporated by conventional means into the fabric to retain a three-dimensional configuration of the cover member 12 while positioned on the face.

The stiffening member 44 shown in FIG. 3 may, for example, be made of a plastic or metal material that is either resiliently deformable so as to be adjustably shaped by the wearer, or which has a “memory,” such as Nitinol or Rigilene® boning, that retains a pre-selected curvature or shape to render the cover member 14 with a three-dimensional shape. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover member 14 may be formed with both darts 36 (shown in phantom) and configured with at least one stiffening member 44 to provide a three-dimensional shape to the device 10.

Because the cover member 14 is generally formed with a three-dimensional configuration, the device 10, when placed on the wearer's face, does not conform to the contours of the wearer's face and thereby avoids the possible sense of suffocation. Additionally, because the cover member 14 extends away from the wearer's face, spaces are formed between the wearer's face and cover member 14 to provide circulation of air around the wearer's face. The lightweight nature of the fabric also provides for exchange of air through the material.

FIG. 4 shows, by way of example only, an alternative means for securing the cover member 12 to the wearer's face, namely by means of strings 38, 40 that can be tied together at the back of the wearer's head. A multitude of devices or means may be employed as securement members 14 to stably secure the face protection device 10 to the head and face. It is only important that the securement member or members be of such construction that the cover member 12 remains in position against the wearer's face.

The face protection device of the present invention not only provides protection of the face and head from harmful UV radiation during tanning, but has the added benefit of providing protection without contributing to a sense of suffocation from having something covering the face. The face protection device of the present invention is configured to allow a person wearing protective UV-resistant glasses or goggles to keep the glasses on his or her face during tanning since the face protection device 10 will assure that the glasses stay in place on the wearer's face. The face protection device is lightweight and capable of being folded for easy storage and carrying.

The face protection device of the present invention is structured to provide protection to the face and head area (e.g., ears and neck) of a person during tanning, either in natural sunlight or under artificial tanning conditions. The face protection device may be configured in a number of different ways to achieve the objective of providing protection to the face and head. Therefore, reference herein to specific details of the structure and function of the present invention is by way of example only and not by way of limitation. 

1. A device for protecting the face and head of a person from UV radiation during tanning, comprising: a cover member sized and shaped to cover the face area of a wearer, said cover member being made of UV resistant material; and a securement member for securing said cover member to the head of a wearer to maintain coverage of the face when the wearer moves his or her head.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said securement member is at least one band having a selected width and being positioned to cover the wearer's ears.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said securement member comprises two sashes, each being attached to said cover member and at least one sash having an attachment element for joining said two sashes together to secure said cover member to a wearer's head.
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein each said sash is structured with an attachment element that interlocks with the attachment element of the other sash to provide adjoining of said securement members together.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said securement member comprises strings attached to said cover member and positioned for interlacing to secure said cover member to the head of a wearer.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein said cover member is ovate in shape to approximate the shape of a wearer's face.
 7. The device of claim 1 wherein said cover member is sized and shaped to cover the face, ears and neck of a wearer.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein said cover member is configured to be three-dimensional when positioned on a wearer's face.
 9. The device of claim 8 wherein said three-dimensional configuration of said cover member is provided by the incorporation of darts in said cover member.
 10. The device of claim 9 wherein said three-dimensional configuration of said cover member is further provided by at least one stiffening element secured to said cover member.
 11. The device of claim 8 wherein said three-dimensional configuration of said cover member is provided by at least one stiffening element secured to said cover member.
 12. The device of claim 11 wherein said at least one stiffening member is made of a resiliently deformable material.
 13. The device of claim 11 wherein said at least one stiffening member is made of a material having a memory.
 14. The device of claim of claim 1 further comprising at least one stiffening element secured to said cover member to render said cover member with a three-dimensional shape when placed over a wearer's face.
 15. The device of claim 1 wherein said cover member is formed from a material having a UPF rating of 30 or greater.
 16. The device of claim 1 wherein said cover member is formed from a lightweight, breathable material which allows a wearer to exchange air through said material.
 17. The device of claim 1 wherein said securement member further comprises a member attached to said cover member and positioned to extend over the top of a wearer's head to secure the cover member against the head. 